Be Not Afraid Though Thunder Explodes and Lightning Flash
by Reader's Inflammation
Summary: Imagine Person A and Person B are neighbors in an apartment building, and Person A only moved in recently.


Be Not Afraid Though Thunder Explodes and Lightning Flash (Vienna Teng)

* * *

 _Boom!_

Yet another crack of thunder followed a particularly bright bolt of lightning, and Carlos was yet again distracted from the book that he was reading.

The weather had been terrible all day, but the thunderstorm had only started a little while ago. Luckily, Carlos had gotten back to his apartment before the torrential downpour had begun, saving him from an unexpected shower.

After a long day at work, he had gotten home, picked up a book, and began to read on the couch. Once the storm started, however, Carlos found it particularly difficult to keep his attention on the pages when the sound of thunder echoed through the small apartment every couple minutes.

 _Boom, boom, boom!_

Carlos paused and looked up. Three thunderclaps? Right in a row? That couldn't be right. . . .

Carlos heard it again, but this time he figured out that they weren't the thunder.

 _Knock, knock, knock, knock!_

And the sounds were starting to get more urgent. Carlos laid the book page-down on the coffee table and got up to open the door. Looking out the small peephole, Carlos saw his neighbor, Cecil. He had never really spoken to the man; just the occasional morning wave or head nod.

Upon opening the door, Carlos noticed that Cecil was shaking slightly.

"Cecil, are you alright?" Carlos asked, worried for the well-being of his neighbor.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine," Cecil answered quickly, yet his trembling did not cease. "I was wondering what you were up to."

"What I was up to?"

"Yeah, what you're up to. Or if you wanted some company or something."

"Um," Carlos said, not sure how to answer the strange questions. "I was reading a book, but it's hard to concentrate what with the storm and all."

"Oh, yeah, look at that; there's a storm out there. I hardly noticed," said Cecil very quickly and slightly frantic, trying desperately to keep his voice level. Carlos noticed this and figured out what was wrong fairly quickly.

"Would you like to come inside, Cecil?" Carlos asked. "I could make us some dinner if you haven't eaten yet."

"Really? Are you sure?" When Carlos nodded and moved aside to allow Cecil to enter his apartment, Cecil complied. Carlos shut the door and motioned for Cecil to follow him into the kitchen.

"What would you like? I have gluten-free spaghetti and . . . wheat-less pasta . . . yeah, that's it really," Carlos said lamely. Cecil just chuckled and nodded.

"Spaghetti sounds amazing. Thank you."

So Carlos began boiling the water and then led Cecil into the living room to sit on the couch. Right as they both sat down came the loudest crack of thunder all night.

 _BOOM!_

And Cecil practically jumped out of his skin at the sound. The noise had also made him tremble even more, causing Carlos to scoot over so he was flush up against him, laying his hand on Cecil's thigh.

"It's okay, Ceec," Carlos said, trying to calm him down. "It's just some thunder."

"I-I kn-know," Cecil told him, stumbling over his words from the insane amount of shaking in his body. After a few seconds of Cecil taking really deep breaths, but not calming down, Carlos mulled over his options really quickly, and then hugged Cecil before he could change his mind.

As soon as Carlos wrapped his arms around Cecil's shoulders, the man threw his own arms around Carlos's waist and pulled him tight, dropping his face onto Carlos's shoulder. Cecil's quivering made Carlos's body begin to shudder, so Carlos just held him tighter.

They stayed like that for a couple of minutes until Cecil drew back and stared at Carlos's face. Before Carlos knew what he was doing, Cecil leaned in and kissed him. Carlos was a bit shocked at first, but his mind went hazy as they began kissing more soundly.

Suddenly, there was another huge clap of thunder and Carlos thought to himself that he had never so adamantly hated the weather before. Cecil jumped back and stared wide-eyed at Carlos, shuddering and stammering, but not all because of the storm this time.

"I—I'm sorry. I shouldn't—I don't know why I—You know, I'm just—I'm gonna go—leave and I'll see you tomorrow or somethi—" Cecil tried to come up with an exit, but Carlos cut him off by leaning in for another kiss. It's safe to say that Cecil was pleasantly surprised.

When they broke apart for a second time, Cecil was much calmer, especially since the lightning seemed to distance itself from the apartment and the rain had lightened and the thunder had quieted.

"The storm stopped," Carlos mentioned. Cecil just nodded and said, "Yeah."

"Would you like to stay? For the night, I mean. Just in case it starts again," Carlos whispered, unsure as to the logic behind the invitation. Nevertheless, Cecil accepted.

After they ate their dinner, Carlos made up the couch after Cecil had all but demanded that he stay out in the living room. Carlos made sure that Cecil had everything that he needed and knew where his bedroom and the bathroom were before heading off to bed himself.

* * *

Carlos opened his eyes and looked at the clock. It was well past midnight and the storm had supposedly stopped hours ago. But here he was, lying in bed, wide-awake from the blaring clap of thunder. And then there was another one barely a minute later. The storm was getting closer.

Just then, Carlos remembered his guest out in the living room and hoped that he hadn't been woken up. Quietly but quickly, Carlos got out of bed and padded to the living room to check on Cecil. But there was no one on the couch. Cecil's blanket was also missing from the room.

Carlos turned around and went back down the hall, knocking on the bathroom door. He noticed that the light was on underneath the door, but no one had answered. All the while, Carlos could hear the thunderclaps perfectly, as if he were in the same room as them. There was no way that Cecil could sleep through this.

Calling Cecil's name through the door again, Carlos slowly turned the doorknob, opening the door just enough to see Cecil sitting on the floor with the blanket around his shoulders and his face tucked into the crooks of his elbows that were resting on his pulled-up knees. It was a very sad sight.

"Cecil?" Carlos whispered as he crossed the room and sat down next to his friend (acquaintance? neighbor? more than friends? Carlos didn't know). Putting his arm around Cecil's shoulders and pulling him against his chest made Carlos feel very protective of the trembling man. As soon as he did so, Cecil wrapped his arms around Carlos's stomach yet again and buried his face into the man's chest, trying to breathe in and out rhythmically.

Once the storm calmed down enough, and as did Cecil, Carlos was able to stand the man up and walk them both back to Carlos's bedroom. When Cecil gave Carlos a confused look, he just motioned for Cecil to lie down on the bed. Cecil did as silently told and Carlos threw the blanket down him before walking to the other side and lying down himself. Cecil was grateful for the warmth and contact provided when Carlos placed his arm over Cecil's. He could feel the man's breath on his neck and that's how he fell asleep that night, without any loud noises to wake him up until morning light.

* * *

Imagine Person A and Person B are neighbors in an apartment building, and Person A only moved in recently. They haven't spoken much, but on the night of a thunderstorm, Person B receives a knock on their door from Person A, who is apparently afraid of lightning. Though they've only spoken a few times before, Person A comes up with some ridiculous excuse for Person B to let them stay over for a while, and Person B agrees (begrudgingly or not).


End file.
